AP Photo/The Register-Guard, Brian DaviesRamona, a Chihuahua, gets her miniature Oregon jersey signed by running back LaMichael James, right, and quarterback Darron Thomas during Oregon's fan day on Aug. 28, 2010. As college football gets more popular, schools have stepped-up their efforts to police autograph dealers who sell gear signed by current players.

All it took for Bill Clever's blood to run cold was a pair of dirty socks.

"WOW!" read a listing on eBay a few weeks after the Oregon football team played in January's national championship game. "Up for auction is a pair of Nike Oregon Ducks bcs game worn socks."

Included was a photo of the distinctive day-glo yellow-green gear that Oregon wore against Auburn. Clever, who oversees the Ducks' compliance with NCAA rules, knew the sale could jeopardize the eligibility of a current player if one were involved.

So Clever began sleuthing: touching base with Oregon's equipment manager, emailing the anonymous online seller and trying to winnow the list of players who might have worn the socks. His is a familiar routine. In more than a decade at Oregon, Clever has interviewed more than 20 athletes after spotting their gear or autographs for sale.

The Ducks aren't alone in battling the insidious trade. Athletes at Georgia, Ohio State and Alabama have been suspected of or punished for selling or trading game-worn merchandise, autographs or both, in violation of NCAA amateurism rules. As the value of such items escalates, so does temptation for players to sell -- and pressure on school officials to thwart those sales.

"We try to head it off while we can," Clever said, "but you feel like the Little Dutch Boy."

On the line is schools' standing with college sports' governing body, which has been more aggressive than ever in tracking down and punishing wrongdoers.

Oregon's hot summer

Few places have seen fan demand for souvenirs associated with active players rise as quickly as it has at Oregon, which is coming off Rose Bowl and BCS title game appearances and boasts Heisman Trophy candidates running back LaMichael James and quarterback Darron Thomas.

On online-auction site eBay Friday, 270 items purported to be signed by current or former Ducks were for sale. They focused on high-profile athletes, from a mini-helmet signed by senior tight end David Paulson (buy-it-now price: $79.99) to gloves signed by James ($100), the junior who was a Heisman finalist last season.

A fan or dealer selling items whose signatures he acquired, or that were given to him, is allowed. But it's against NCAA rules for players to receive anything of value in exchange for autographs or gear.

Complicating matters is that a university may have a player autograph a jersey or helmet and auction it off; the player just can't get a cut.

"Lots of times when you tell the kids, 'NCAA says you can't do this,' you hear the groans and stuff like that," said Jeff Hawkins, Oregon director of football operations. "Yeah, I know. But this is the rule."

The issue of current-player memorabilia is not new at Oregon. In 2005, twice someone posted on eBay a pair of Nikes made exclusively for the Ducks men's basketball team. Twice, Clever had players turn in their shoes to his office. The listings disappeared.

A Nike spokeswoman said at the time that the shoes could have been posted by a Nike employee who had since been fired. But no one knew for sure. $100 danger zone

The increasing value of items such as signed helmets and jerseys has raised the stakes for players and their programs. One item for sale online Friday was an Oregon helmet signed by "all the big dogs" from the BCS Championship team. The asking price: $650.

If a benefit received by an athlete is less than $100, a school can report the violation to the NCAA and the student can be absolved by donating the equivalent amount to charity, Clever said. But if a benefit is $100 or greater, then an athlete must go through the NCAA's reinstatement process, which can take time and cost an athlete games.

Georgia receiver A.J. Green, who last year allegedly sold a jersey he wore in the Independence Bowl for $1,000, was suspended for four games.

Quarterback Terrelle Pryor was among six Ohio State players suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season for trading signed memorabilia, trophies and championship rings for in exchange for tattoos. Pryor left the program and has been banned by Ohio State from associating with its athletic teams for five years.

Temptation abounds

Demand for college-sports memorabilia has gone up in recent years, said Michael Hughes, president and owner of Atlanta-based memorabilia wholesaler The Sports Mix.

"People want it," Hughes said. "They want to put it in their offices, they want to give it to their kids for their birthday."

As Hughes spoke, he prepared to ship a mini-helmet signed by former Oregon linebacker Casey Matthews ($59), now with the Philadelphia Eagles, to a buyer in Grants Pass. Hughes said he contacts agents after a player's college career is over and reaches a written agreement to sell his signed memorabilia, rather than seeking current players' signatures.

"It's not worth it," Hughes said. "For a few thousand dollars you put your company in jeopardy and put the athlete in jeopardy. The NCAA will come after me, too."

The real danger, he said, is in dealers paying players to sign a slew of items -- especially 8 by 10 glossies easily slipped to a player -- that the dealers can turn around and sell.

"There's a lot of stuff that goes on behind the scenes and under the table," Hughes said. "A lot of these kids come from backgrounds where they don't have a lot. It's easy to sign your name. A lot of cash can be trading hands fairly simply. And it can't be traced." Vigilance required

Problems can arise even when money isn't involved. Officials at Oregon State have sent a letter to local businesses warning them, among other things, not to barter their services in exchange for players' equipment or memorabilia.

"It hasn't been a real big issue, but it's right there," OSU sports information director Steve Fenk said. "It doesn't take much to make it one."

NikeThe BCS socks

Oregon, which has a compliance staff of four full-timers and two interns, patrols locker-room exit doors after games and keeps a lookout at hotel lobbies and outside team buses for people who appear to be seeking player signatures or goods that could be re-sold.

"We've had a number of people that we've had to call public safety on because they're repeat offenders," Hawkins said. "There are people that have hidden in the bushes, you know, in the parking lot and stuff like that."

Ducks officials also teach players to personalize autographs -- "To Ashley" -- to make them less saleable and intertwine the salutation with their signature so the words can't be separated or erased.

But signed helmets and trading card still find their way online, to the eternal frustration of compliance officials. Clever said he has found little cooperation from eBay in contacting sellers. Jason Leonard, executive director of athletics compliance at perennial power Oklahoma, said he's sent out countless cease-and-desist letters to online sellers of current-player gear -- with no responses.

Oklahoma, with a compliance staff of eight full-time and three part-time employees, is considering adding a full-time position dedicated solely to monitoring online-auction and social-networking sites.

"You're trying to plug a dam with a piece of bubble gum," Leonard said. "Eventually, you feel like, it's going to overtake you."

Oregon did notch a small victory recently: The BCS-worn socks for sale online turned out to be from a former athlete. They sold for $250. For one more day, the Ducks were in the clear.